Busy Bee: A Memoir

By Dato’ Sri, Dr. Bee Loh

This book is about the real story of a young Malaysian who got his education from Singapore and Australia. This tell-all book talks about what really happens when you send your kid for their overseas studies and the struggle of a Gen X person when he enters the Asian business context when he came back to Malaysia to help expand the family business. It also talks about the need for a Gen X person to work smart—so what if you have a degree/masters?—to get their hands dirty, to do the correct investment, and to give back to the society.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Oct 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543748291

Dato’ Sri, Dr. Bee Loh

Dato’ Sri, Dr. Bee Loh earned a degree in business management from RMIT University, Melbourne, and earned both a master’s degree and a doctorate in business administration at the University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Loh has a postgraduate certificate in law from the University of London and was awarded Kinghood from the Pahang Royal Family Malaysia which carries the title Dato’ Sri.

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Copyright © 2018 by Dato’ Sri, Dr. Bee Loh.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 Early Childhood

Chapter 2 Primary School, Singapore

Chapter 3 Secondary School, Singapore

Chapter 4 Life Changing, Melbourne, 2003

Chapter 5 Foundation Studies, 2004

Chapter 6 Foundation Studies, 2004 (Part Two: Business)

Chapter 7 RMIT University Melbourne

Chapter 8 Work (Real Work), Malaysia

Chapter 9 The Big Change

Chapter 10 Danke Schön

Chapter 11 Ready, Set, New Factory

Chapter 12 Investment Skills

Chapter 13 Giving Back to Society

Chapter 14 Running the Business

Chapter 15 Discipline

Chapter 16 The Love the Family

Chapter 17 On a Final Note

INTRODUCTION

You might be shocked to hear this is my second attempt at writing my story. The first draft, which took me well over a year to write and consisted of over sixty pages, just did not feel right.

This goes back to the fundamental question of why.

Why have I forgone the sixty pages of my first draft?

Why am I rewriting everything?

Why am I even writing this in the first place?

Hopefully, in the rewriting of this book, I can answer these questions.

There is a decline among young writers in Asia. I love reading; in fact, I have loved reading since high school, when my friends and classmates were busy memorising the complex formulas in math class. There I was, reading the daily newspaper in class. I believe I bring a different perspective to readers in Asia, if not the world. Much has been created by fellow writers (I feel a bit weird typing that), but very little has been written by true-blue young Asians. I am not saying I represent the voice of an entire continent, but at least I am able to hold the small flags of some.

I hope my writing helps you relax in this busy world. I know everyone is dying to use the next generation of technology—flying cars, wireless wallets, and bean-less coffee—but the good old, unhip tradition of reading will do your brain some good. I hope this book will bring you an understanding of a young Asian that has seen, breathed, lived, and tasted in three different countries, different cultures that have helped form the stronghold of belief that shapes who I am today. I am not writing a fairy tale where everything is perfect and people will dance their night away happily while drinking vintage red wine. This is a book about the reality of growing up in Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia.

This is my story.

I had better start now.

1

EARLY CHILDHOOD

43372.png FIRST SIX YEARS of my life were spent on the sunny side of Malaysia—Johor Bahru, where I enjoyed a fun and exciting life growing up in the rural side of Southern Malaysia, right next to the advancing development of Singapore.

I don’t have a superpower, but I do have great memories of my childhood. I still clearly remember what happened to me when I was 3 years old. I know others may not recall much from their childhood, but it just seems normal for me to flash back to those memories.

I am the middle child. I have an older sister who is a smart cookie who seems to always be able to do well in exams even without much studying. I also have a younger brother who was born into a world in which whatever he wants, he always gets. He is the youngest in the family, so I guess he holds the cards.

My family is not well off, but we do live comfortably with my grandparents. My childhood was full of outings, video games, playing with black records (they fly well when you throw them at the exact angle), and exciting trips to McDonald’s for kids’ Happy Meals.

I understand that young adults like myself can no longer speak dialects well because the world just aren’t needed anymore, but I am glad I understand my dialect of Teochew, the language used by my parents and my grandparents.

My mother is the last batch of English-educated students in Malaysia before the government changed the entire education to Malay to lower the passing grade and cater to the general majority of the population. That was a bad move which will haunt Malaysia for the coming century.

It was tough for my mother, as we live under the same roof as my grandparents. There were conflicts and quarrels within the house which I clearly remember. My first advice to a young family is get yourself your own space and do not live with your parents when you get married. In fact, move out as soon as you earn a living wage. Everyone needs their own personal space. Every family needs their own space to grow and set the tone of their own unique culture. What worked in the 1950s will not work in today’s world. This is what I called evolution.

I have a good memory of my early childhood, and I can easily recall events from when I was 3 years old. I can easily recall trying to ride the huge bicycle even though I could not fully reach the pedals. I also remember very